1. Field of the Invention
The invention herein relates to electrical outlet boxes and the associated plugs and wiring, particularly such as are used in common residential and commercial buildings.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The ordinary electrical outlet as used in most residences and commercial buildings, with its two exposed electrically "hot" or "live" slots, is very convenient when properly used by adults. For children, however, particularly young children, the ordinary electrical outlet can be a source of serious injury and in many cases death. Children are naturally curious, and it is unfortunately not uncommon for a child to become intrigued with an electrical outlet and probe into it with a piece of metal, such as a piece of tableware, kitchen utensil, letter opener, screw driver or the like. This far too often leads to a tragic result as the metal object contacts the hot electrical leads and closes a ground circuit through the child's body, electrocuting the child.
Parents have sought ways to avoid this problem. Tape can be put over the exposed opening of the sockets, but tape frequently does not adhere for very long and has an unsightly appearance. In any case the tape itself often becomes an attractant to the child who peals it away and exposes the face of the socket. Commercial products, such as plastic caps, are also widely available, and are used by many parents. However, to be effective, such caps must fit very snugly against the socket. They are therefore quite difficult to remove, even for an adult, when one wishes to plug an appliance into the outlet. Consequently, many parents initially start using the caps with good intentions, but after a while tend to start taking them off or discarding them because of the inconvenience when plugging in appliances.
It would clearly be advantageous, therefore, to have a plug and socket system which would be both safe for use with children and convenient for adults to use for its regular connection purposes. Such a plug and socket system should be such that it is generally not an attractant to children, but also such that if a child should deliberately or inadvertently attempt to probe into it, it would very difficult for the child to make contact with live electrical circuits. The electrical connection of the present invention accomplishes those goals.